Kyle Ericson/APJamey Johnson, who'll headline Thursday at the Mobile Saenger Theatre, is shown performing performs with his band during a Farm Aid performance in October in St. Louis.Last week, Jamey Johnson and Randy Houser appeared at the Country Music Association Awards. Tomorrow they appear at the Mobile Saenger Theatre.

Houser had a stint at the microphone, during which he directed the cameras to the place in the crowd where the kid who stole the show in his “Boots On” video was sitting. Johnson did a duet with Kid Rock on “Between Jennings and Jones.” (And yes, true to its title, Johnson’s new-old-school approach did kind of split the difference between Waylon and George.)

Johnson had two CMA nominations and Houser had two; both men were nominees for best new artist of the year. Johnson won the song of the year award for “In Color,” his second time to win the category.

This week finds them back on the ground, burning up the road on the CMT Tour. It’s a roadshow whose previous stars include Keith Urban, Brad Paisley, Sugarland, Jason Aldean and Trace Adkins — in other words, an impressive array of top-tier talent.

Johnson and Houser seem poised to meet that standard.

Johnson’s charting singles include “The Dollar,” “High Cost of Living” and the Top 10 ballad “In Color.” Before Houser scored with “Anything Goes” and “Boots On,” he wrote “Honky Tonk Badonkadonk” for Adkins.

The Factory PhotographyRandy Houser said listeners can expect a night that focuses on songs, not flashy showmanship.Houser said he and headliner Johnson both bring a no-nonsense approach to this tour.

“I’m pretty sure most people are going to come to see Jamey, and then they’re going to get to know me by accident,” he said.

“We’re just kinda bringing our band of country music,” he said. “it’s something we’ve done together for a long time and we’ve been wanting to tour together for a long time.”

Houser said listeners can expect a show long on songs and short on frills.

“Don’t expect a big light show and all that stuff,” he said. “We’re songwriters, and we come to play music. And we’re not running around on stage and having choreographed moves and all that. It’s not like a typical country show where you see all that crap. We’re songwriters and we’re coming to play songs. That’s what we do.”

“I think that people will find it refreshing, that it’s not the same old thing,” he said.

For his part, Houser said, they can expect to get a better sense of who he is than they might have gotten from his first album.

“I’m doing a lot of new stuff, actually. I’m getting ready to make a new album, so I’ve been playing lots of new stuff,” he said. “It’s constantly changing because I’m trying out new songs I’ve written and just kinda seeing what the reactions are.”

One other tip: These guys have played a lot of clubs together, and they’re not going to act like strangers on Thursday.

“They can expect us to play together for a while at the end,” Houser said.

The bottom line: he just wants folks to have a good time.

“The crowd makes or breaks the show,” he said. “I hope they get drunk and hope they get home.”

Tickets for Thursday’s 8 p.m. show are $29.50 plus service charge. They are available at the Saenger box office, 251-208-5600.